Tomorrow, the New Media Center begins its new series of special training sessions titled Beyond the Studio. Typical New Media Center training sessions cover how to use software such as Photoshop or After Effects; these sessions are designed to teach skills that you can’t pick up from a computer, like marketing and other practical skills. […]
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The Criterion Collection, abridged
The Criterion Collection is an assemblage of some of the most significant films of all time, preserved in great quality with exceptional special features and commentary. Their collection is as prestigious as it is large; assuming each movie is about two hours long, it would take nearly two solid months to work through all of […]
Continue readingDC Shorts Film Festival opens tomorrow
For the second time in a week, two significant film festivals are kicking off. Perhaps the most significant is the Toronto International Film Festival, which opens tomorrow and will premiere a number of film on the radar for the upcoming award season. More interestingly for the audience of this blog, the DC Shorts Film Festival […]
Continue readingControversial documentary re-ignites a political crisis
This past Tuesday, Israeli courts absolved the state of responsibility for the death of Rachel Corrie, an American peace activist who was killed during the demolition of Palestinian homes in Gaza. Tempers have flared around the case, alternately framing Rachel Corrie as either a victim of circumstance or a political casualty. In 2008, filmmaker Simone Bitton […]
Continue readingWhat co-productions mean for creativity in film
The increasing economic cooperation between the Chinese and U.S is no tightly held secret, but its impact on the film industry is just now becoming apparent. China is notoriously strict about which Western films it shows, reportedly refusing to screen The Departed for implying that Beijing has military connections. That tide is turning. Large movie […]
Continue readingTwo film festivals with very different audiences
Today marks the start of the Venice Film Festival, the oldest international film festival. Though smaller than notable rivals such as Cannes and Sundance, the Venice Film Festival is getting attention this year by premiering new movies from award magnets Paul Thomas Anderson and Terrence Malick. Some might call it the start of the Oscar […]
Continue readingHappy fall semester! Watch our best college movies
And with that, the 2012 fall semester at American University has begun. The first day of classes is winding to a close, but for incoming freshmen, the college experience has just begun. Whether you’re taking Leadership Gateway or preparing for your capstone, now is a great time to watch some of the greatest college movies […]
Continue readingTime Out New York crowns the greatest New York films
Here’s your controversial (if slightly old) link of the day: Time Out New York has compiled a list of the top 100 movies set in New York City. They put together a fairly complete list – but of course, you can dispute the ones at the top. Judging by the comments section, there are some […]
Continue readingBefore Photoshop CS6… there were giant chickens
For as long as we’ve trusted the authenticity of photography, it seems like, naturally, we’ve wanted to mess around with photos too. Now it seems like this urge his been around for generations – in this case, a whole century before we started Photoshopping mustaches onto people’s faces. Wired recently uncovered a collection of unusual […]
Continue readingRetronaut unearths Frankenstein on his off-day
You can easily pull back the curtain of movie magic on almost any recent, major motion picture. It could be as innocuous as a clip of Bane and Batman off the clock, but even obtuse films like Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life come with special features explaining their production. For most older movies, the […]
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